


The Ballad of Luna Loud

by 0Kyrie



Category: The Loud House (Cartoon)
Genre: A whole lot of sister bonding, Canon Bisexual Character, Coming Out, Dangerously cute little sisters, F/F, Lori is a pretty cool big sister, Mutual Pining, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-25
Updated: 2017-07-20
Packaged: 2018-11-18 22:04:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 19,875
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11299767
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/0Kyrie/pseuds/0Kyrie
Summary: After anonymously writing a love letter for Sam, Luna must face new challenges, like coming out to her family, actually asking Sam out, and trying to keep her siblings from meddling in her love life. However, having nine sisters and a brother, Luna fears the last one might not be so easy.





	1. Thinking out Loud

In her 11 years as a student, Luna Loud has never been as excited to hear the bell ring at the end of class as this Monday, for today was the day she chose to finally ask Sam out. And in her 11 years as a student, she has never been as scared either.

As Luna walked down the hallway to her locker, she put on her earphones and started thinking about her plan. It had been two weeks since the love letter craze that led to Luna and her siblings delivering love letters to their respective crushes, and although she _did_ tell her siblings about the event, she conveniently forgot to include a key detail: Her love letter wasn't signed. She simply wasn't ready to confess yet. But that was about to change, as she planned to finally tell Sam about her feelings today.

There were a few reasons as to why Luna didn't tell her siblings about the fact that she sent the letter anonymously. For one, she had been very careful when mentioning Sam around her siblings, because they still thought that, just like all their crushes (save for Lincoln's), Sam was a boy. It's not like she was afraid of her siblings not accepting or finding her weird. No, she knew her siblings better than that, and even though they fought about every little thing, they all knew that they could count on each other for anything and stick together when things got rough.

Luna Loud was _definitely_ not afraid of rejection from her siblings, but she was still afraid nonetheless.

Secondly, Luna didn't know _how_ to tell them that. After all they went through, she was a bit ashamed to admit that she still couldn't be as bold or direct as her siblings, so she just pretended she did the same. It wasn't lying if she planned on telling them eventually, right? _Right?_

And last but not least, Luna  _knew_  her siblings. She knew that they would never be mad at her (not for too long, anyway), or reject her. On the contrary, she knew they would want to _help_ her instead. She could not blame them for that since she also knows that she would do (and has done) the same in their situation, but even if her case wasn't a _tad_ more complicated, having someone meddling on your issues isn't always fun, and sometimes it can harm more than help.

It had been two weeks since the love letter crazy, and Luna has spent those last two weeks letting her insecurities slow cook into full-blown anxiety. _'I have to wait until this whole matchmaking fever dies down... I can't risk my siblings sticking their noses all up in my business!'_ Is what she told herself to justify waiting so long, but deep down she knew that was not the reason why she waited.

She was afraid.

Despite what most people would think, Luna Loud is not fearless. She might be the bold, boastful, and bright 15 year-old girl who would not hesitate to improvise a jam session in the middle of class or kick the ass of anyone who dared make her younger siblings sad, but in the end she was just that. A 15 year-old girl. And like any 15 year-old girl, Luna had her fears and insecurities, and like any 15 year-old girl, love was a big source of those fears and insecurities.

However, there was a difference between Luna and most other girls. Her first love wasn't a boy. Luna wasn't afraid of _just_ rejection. What if Sam didn't like girls? What if she gets disgusted by Luna's advances? What if she stops talking to her? Or worse, what if she tells everyone? Not only was Luna afraid of being rejected, she was afraid of everything that might come when the whole school finds out she likes girls.

 _'I'm just being paranoid... I know Sam, she would never do something like that... right?'_   Thought Luna, and she was right. Sam wasn't the type of girl that would be disgusted by her or spread rumors. _'But what if she doesn't like me? What if things get awkward between us? What if I mess this up? God I'm gonna mess this up.'_ Was all she could think about. Luna knew Sam wouldn't be disgusted or spread rumors, but as she opened her locker and found the half dozen of half finished love letters she realized one thing.

She was afraid anyway.

But even afraid, she had made up her mind. _'Come on, I'm_ Luna Loud _, goddammit! I can do this! Mum didn't raise no coward!'_ She thought as she took off her earphones and slammed her locker shut. _'Today is the day I finally tell-'_

"What's with the long face?"

"SAM!" Luna yelled as her crush suddenly appeared from behind the locker's door. "HEY! I mean, hey! Hi! I was just, uh, you know uhh... I didn't see you there! Hi!" _'Wow, real charmer, aren't you, dumbass?'_ Thought Luna, mentally banging her head on a locker for her inability to think straight.

"You just said 'hi' like, four times, dude." Said Sam, chuckling at Luna's less than subtle embarrassment. "You okay, dude? You're sweating bullets."

"Yeah, yeah! I was just, you know, standing here, waiting for uh..." _'YOU! Waiting for you!'_ Thought Luna as she tried to gather the courage to finally ask her out.

If Sam noticed how nervous Luna was getting, she certainly did not comment on it.

"You're waiting for someone?" Asked Sam, ignoring how Luna fidgeted with her belts. "Who is it? I can wait with you! Or I can go ahead if you want to."

 _'Crap.'_ Was all Luna could think.

"NO! I mean, it's alright! It was nothing important" Said Luna while leaning on her locker, trying (and failing) to look nonchalant. _'She's right here! Just tell her! Luna Loud, you ain't a coward!'_

"Oh, okay, cool!" Said Sam, getting a book from her own locker. "What's up, dude?"

 _'Tell her you like her!'_   Thought Luna. "Not much, you?" Said Luna.

 _'Crap. I_ am _a coward!'_ Was all she could think of, resisting the urge to facepalm. As much as Luna had prepared, she felt as if she would _never_ be prepared enough. _'I promised myself I would tell her today...'_

"Same, same." Said Sam, closing her locker and walking closer to Luna. "It feels like we were trapped in chemistry hell for a week! Like, dude, what am I even gonna use that for!?" She said, closing her backpack.

"Yeah, I get it, dude." Said Luna, picking up her backpack and walking faster so she could catch up with the blonde. _'This is your chance! Ask her out!'_ "Wanna hang out later? We could have a jam sesh, rock out a bit, get your mind out off that stuff, y'know?"

"Thanks, dude. I would love to go play with you, but I'm kinda swamped with homework right now..." Sam said, smiling apologetically. "Don't tell anyone, but I'm actually _pretty_ close to bombing chemistry."

"Crap, I didn't know that. I'm sorry, dude." The brunette apologized, worried. "Hey! We could go to my house! I know I'm not the best at chemistry either, but I could help you with your homework!"

 _'Luna Loud, you are a **genius!** '_  She thought to herself, beaming internally. _'Maybe I_ can _tell her today after all...'_

"That's... a good idea, actually!" Said Sam, turning her head back to look at the brunette. "I'm surprised, Luna."

"Hey! And what's _that_ supposed to mean?" Asked Luna, raising her brow while pretending to be offended.

"I'm kidding, I'm kidding!" Laughed Sam. "But really, it's a great idea! I get to do my homework, finally meet your siblings, and also spend some more time with you!"

 _'YES! You can do it, Luna!'_   Thought Luna, mentally cheering before she could fully process what Sam had said. _'Wait... did she just say...'_

"My... siblings?" _'Crap, I totally forgot about that!'_

"Yeah! I heard a lot about them! My sister wouldn't stop talking about your brother Lincoln for a week after that Sadie Hawkins Dance thing." Laughed Sam.

"Oh man..." _'So much for keeping this a secret from my siblings...'_

"No worries, dude, she told me he apologized already." Said Sam, oblivious to what was really bothering the rocker.

"What? Oh, yeah. That was a fiasco, huh? So..." Whatever Luna was about to say died in her throat when Sam suddenly threw her arm around her shoulders.

"So, we're going to your place then?" Asked Sam, not noticing the blush slowly creeping up her friend's face.

"Uh, yeah! Hope you don't mind the noise, haha!" Joked Luna, trying to look anywhere but at the shorter girl's face.

"Dude. You know me!" Said Sam, smirking at her. "Come on, let's go!" She said as she pulled Luna by the hand.

And so Luna realized that it definitely wasn't going to be easy keeping her secret from her siblings much longer. But she also realized something else: She didn't care. She knew that after all her siblings would support her, and as Sam grabbed her hand, she realized that even if Sam ended up not liking her the way she wanted to, she would still be her friend. And as long as she had her family and friends, Luna would be happy.

Luna Loud was still afraid, she realized, but she didn't care.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! This is obviously not perfect, but it's my first fanfiction ever, and I'm actually pretty satisfied with how it turned out! English isn't my first language, so don't hesitate to tell me if there's any grammar erros! I still don't know where this story is going, but I plan on continuing it for a while, I _need_ to see Luna and Sam being gay dumb teenagers together orz


	2. With a family as big as mine...

It was by no means a long walk from Royal Woods High School to her house at 1216 Franklin Avenue, taking barely 30 minutes by foot, but as she walked side by side with Sam, the girl she was currently head over heels for, talking and joking and laughing, Luna felt like this was both the longest and shortest walk of her life. Forgetting all her fears and insecurities and paying attention only to the smiling girl by her side, she barely noticed when they arrived at the cluttered front yard of her home.

"Here we are! Uh, sorry about the mess, Sam, my siblings kinda just leave all their junk everywhere." The brunette said, smiling sheepishly as she tried to step over a doll with no head.

"No worries, dude! Feels hom- oof!" Sam tried to reply, before stepping on a roller skate. "Oops. Feels homely!" She laughed, trying to recover her balance.

"Hey! You alright there?" Luna scrambled to her side, worried. She started to realized that her house, with all her siblings and all their stuff scattered all around, could be described more as a  _barely_  non-lethal minefield than an actual home, and immediately started having second thoughts about bringing Sam over.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine! Just, uh, stepped on something, I think..." The smaller girl assured, trying and failing to find the skate she stepped on. "Don't worry, dude!"

_'Chill out, Luna! You're gonna look desperate!'_

**_"LYNN!"_**  Before Luna could say anything else, though, they heard a loud, shrill yell and a crash coming from inside the house.

_'Oh boy...'_

"One of your sisters?" The blonde asked, trying to get a look inside through one of the windows.

"Yeah, that's Lo-"

**_"THROW THAT BALL IN HERE AGAIN AND I LITERALLY SWEAR TO GOD!"_ **

"-ri. Yep, that's definitely Lori... my older sister."

As they got closer to the door and the noise coming from inside grew louder and louder, Luna started regretting suggesting they study here instead of at Sam's place.

As Lori yelled at her younger siblings, Sam couldn't help but chuckle a bit. "She sounds kinda..."

"Bitchy?" Interrupted Luna, rightfully ignoring the doorbell and knocking on the door. "Everyone here is kinda crazy, dude. You get used to it after a while."

"Dude, come on. They can't be that b-"

_**"WATCH OUT!"** _

Their conversation was suddenly interrupted by a football shattering one of the windows in the door. As both girls ducked to avoid the flying glass, none noticed that someone opened the door and dashed past them, running after the escaping ball.

"Dang it Lynn! I told you to not play football inside!" Yelled Lori, running down the stairs with her phone. "Mom and Dad are going to be literally so pissed!". As she noticed that Lynn was already gone, she sighed and leaned on the back of the couch before pulling out her phone.

"Shit! Dude, you okay?!" Luna dropped her backpack as she helped the blonde back up to her feet, worry audible in her voice. "Are you hurt?"

"I'm okay!" She assured, picking a shard of glass from her hair. "Woah..."

"What is it?"

"I guess you weren't kidding about your family after all!" Sam laughed, half at the situation, half at the brunette's dumbfounded face.

"Yeah, dude, like I said, they are  _just a bit crazy._ " Luna laughed too, relieved that the smaller girl wasn't hurt.

"Aren't you a bit crazy too, though?"

At that Luna turned her face away,  _definitely_  because she found the lamp next to the door very interesting, and  _not at all_  to try and hide the light blush creeping up her face.  _'So much for trying not to look desperate... she almost got hurt twice and we're not even inside yet'_

"Hey, Luna?"

"Huh?"  _'Isn't she a_  bit  _too close...?'_

"You can let go now."

"Wha-" Luna panicked when she realized that she still had her arms around Sam, holding the girl close after helping her get up. "SHI- Sorry! Sorry, I-I didn't-" She stuttered, quickly releasing the smaller girl. Her blush was  _definitely_  visible now.

"Chill, dude!" Seeing her so embarrassed only made Sam start laughing again. "I'm just kidding! I don't mind, really!" She said, trying to control her laughter.

 _'Wait, what?'_  "Well, uh, so I guess we should go inside, then, huh?" As she could barely think straight from embarrassment, Luna picked up her backpack and went inside, hoping that if she stayed ahead, the other girl wouldn't notice her blushing.  _'Real smooth, Luna. Reeeal smooth.'_

"Lead the way!" The blonde said, finally controlling her laughter as she followed Luna inside.

* * *

Luna Loud liked to think of herself as a cool big sister. And she was, really! She might not be as responsible as Lori or as kind as Leni, but she always encouraged her younger sisters and brother to do what they loved, even if it meant 11 kids tearing the house apart. She always tried to be there for them, and even though she knew how loud they could be, she didn't care. That's who they were, and she liked it! Luna never even thought about trying to make her siblings less noisy or chaotic or crazy, that's who they were after all. But sometimes she did wonder if she was too laid-back as a big sister.

This was one of those times.

The first thing Luna noticed when she stepped inside, was how  _chaotic_  the house really was. On a normal day, she would have never payed attention to all the chaos and all the noise. She grew up with it, after all. But today was not a normal day, and while her siblings weren't causing any more mayhem than the usual, Luna was a lot more self-conscious with Sam by her side, and immediately noticed every little thing her siblings were doing, each one seemingly competing for the title of  _Loudest_  Loud.

She heard, rather than saw, Lola chasing Lana around on her princess car, the former yelling mock-insults in a shrill voice such as "You uncivilized pig!" or "Classless mud ball!" while the latter ran away leaving mud marks all over the floor, trying to find a high spot where she would be safe from her twin's automotive wrath.

"Come back here, Mudzilla!"

"You'll never catch me alive, princess! NEVER!"

After acknowledging the twins, a youthful giggle caught Luna's attention, and she noticed Lily, with a videogame controller on her mouth, sitting on the couch next to Lincoln, who frantically tried to take the slobbered controller away from the baby's grasp. Behind them, she saw Lori leaning on the couch, loudly chatting on her phone (with Bobby, surely) while watching her younger siblings with disinterest.

"Ideo gam!"

"Lily! That is  _not_  how you hold a controller! Here let me-"

"-and she broke the door window! Just after I  _literally_  told her to stop playing with that ball inside the house!"

Looking away from her siblings on the couch, Luna noticed Leni and Luan sitting in the dining room, gossiping. She could see her older sister working with some kind of fabric while the younger had an open notebook (probably homework), but was instead focused on finishing her story with Leni, who gasped loudly after every other sentence.

"-and they were  _roommates_!"

Leni gasped. "Oh my  _gosh_ , they were roommates!"

Her attention, however, was redirected to the stairs that led to hall and the bedrooms on the second floor. A light purple smoke started floating downstairs, and a subtle whistling sound began to get louder and louder, until a flash and a loud explosion sound came from one of the bedrooms, no doubt one of Lisa's experiments gone wrong again.

"I'm okay!" Came a voice from upstairs.

"-yeah, sorry, hold on Bobby Boo-Boo Bear. LISA! STOP TRYING TO BLOW UP THE HOUSE!" Yelled Lori, covering her phone. "Okay, what was I saying?"

After taking in all the noise, Luna realized that all her siblings were home already, with the exception of Lynn, who was outside looking for her football, and-

"Hi Luna." Came a quiet voice from behind them. "You seem tense today." She pointed out.

"LUCY!" Luna yelped and jumped in the air, startled, and grabbed her chest while she tried to catch her breath.  _'Dammit Lucy! Don't scare us like that!'_ She thought, realizing that Sam had also been scared. "What were you doing behind us?"

"I just got home." The young goth replied, monotonously. "Who's your friend?"

"Oh, this is-" And then Luna realized.

_'Crap! I didn't think of this! If I call her Sam they're definitely going to realize who she is!'_

"Hey! I'm-" Started Sam, much to the brunette's horror.

**_"FOUND IT!"_ **

Before any of them could finish a sentence, however, Lynn came barreling inside the living room with a football, almost running over her two sisters and Sam in the process.

_'Thank you, Lynn, you beautiful angel!'_

"Hey sis!" Greeted Lynn after almost crashing on Luna. "Hey, who's your friend?"

Having had their attentions caught by Lynn, all the siblings (except for Lisa, who was upstairs, and Lily, who was happily chewing the controller) finally noticed Luna and the blonde girl beside her standing in front of the door.

"Luna! You didn't tell us you were bringing a friend over!"

"Hey Lunes! Who's that?"

"Sis! You brought a friend!"

_'You know what? I change my mind. Dang it, Lynn!'_

"Hey everyone!" Sam started again, slightly overwhelmed by suddenly being in the center of the chaos. "I'm-"

"This is Sammy!" Luna interrupted, suddenly. "She's, uh, my friend! From school!" _'Ugh, what the hell are you saying?_ Sammy _?'_

"-riiight..." The shorter girl looked at her suspiciously. "I'm  _Sammy_. Luna's friend from school! We're here to do some homework actually so..."

"We should probably go to my bedroom! Like, right now." Completed Luna, hastily.

"How rude! You won't even introduce us to your friend? Where are your manners, Luna?" Lola suddenly said, lifting her dress and stepping off her princess car.

_'Dang it Lola!'_

"Yeah, dude! I wanted to meet your siblings anyway, remember?" Reminded Sam, elbowing Luna excitedly.

"Alright, alright!" Luna rolled her eyes, pretending to be mad. "Sammy, meet my siblings! The drooling one's Lily, the pink one's Lola, the muddy one's Lana, the spooky one's Lucy, the dude one's Lincoln-"

"Oh! So you're Lincoln!" Sam clapped her hands, interrupting the rocker. "My sister told me about you!"

"Uh..." Lincoln, confused, completely forgot about the controller he was trying to take from the hungry jaws of his baby sister. "Your... sister?"

"Yes! Tabby! From the Sadie Hawkins Dance, remember?"

"Oh!" As soon as Lincoln remembered the incident, he immediately shot up from the couch, almost knocking over the controller Lily wasn't currently slobbering. "Oh gosh! I-I'm so sorry! I didn't mean t-"

"Chill, dude!" Said Sam, trying to contain her laughter. "It's alright! Tabby told me you apologized to her already. Don't worry about that."

"Oh." Lincoln wiped his brow, relieved. "Whew... I didn't know Tabby had a sister!"

"Eh, I'm not surprised she didn't mention me. Especially at a dance."

"Wow, that's a real coinci _dance_ , haha!" Luan joked as she came back from the dining room. "Get it?"

"Anyway..." Continued Luna, obviously trying to go over the introductions as quickly as possible. "The one who  _almost ran over us_  is Lynn-"

"Sorry about that." Lynn apologized, rubbing the back of her head sheepishly.

"-the punny one's Luan." Continued Luna, getting impatient. "The-"

Suddenly, everyone turned their heads towards the stairs as another explosion occurred upstairs and more purple smoke floated downstairs.

"LISA! GET OUT OF YOUR ROOM LITERALLY  _RIGHT NOW!_ " Lori finally had enough of her little sister trying to blow up the roof. It was  _her_  responsibility to make sure the house was still standing while her parents were out, after all.

With all the smoke, no one noticed the resident scientist coming downstairs until Lisa was halfway down the stairs, trying to clean her ash covered glasses on her shirt, but failing due to her shirt  _also_  being covered in ash. "Hello, Luna. Hello, female stranger. There's no need for you to stop your banal activities and interrupt my work. Research is going smoothly as always, especially when I don't have to remove myself from work to reassure you that no, I am not about to "blow up the roof", and that any fears of such you might have are completely and totally unfounded and baseless." She said in her usual lisp, not even looking at anyone but Lori (mostly due to her ash covered glasses).

"Baseless? You literally blew up your room  _twice_  in less than 5 minutes!" Retorted Lori, putting her phone down while walking towards her nerdy sister. "What "research" are you even doing up there that requires that many explosives?!"

"What am I doing? I thought that was obvious!" Lisa gave up on trying to clean her glasses, choosing instead to stare at where she  _thinks_  Lori is standing. "Seedless avocados!"

As Lori and Lisa continued to bicker, the rest of the residents slowly turned back to Luna and her guest. "Well then..." She continued. "The burned one's Lisa, the bossy one's Lori..."

 _'Dude, even just the introductions take forever in this family! I knew this wasn't a good idea...'_  As she tried to ignore the fight, Luna looked for the last sibling who had to be introduced. "And finally, we have-"

"Hi, I'm Leni!" The fashionista cut her off, excitedly. "I love your hair!"

"Oh, wow, uh..." Sam was taken aback, slightly flustered due to the sudden compliment. "Thanks, I-"

"Leni!" Luan interrupted, suddenly. "You're gonna embarrass her if you just compliment her out of the  _blue_!"

"I like your hair too!" Lola joined in, trying to get the blonde rocker's attention. "But I think pink would be prettier!"

"What?!" Yelled Lana, jumping in on the growing cacophony. "Blue is totally cooler!"

And just like that, half of the siblings are arguing, paying no mind to the girls at the door again.

With the introductions finally over, Luna wanted to get away from the noise and chaos as quickly as possible, so, without thinking, she took Sam's hand and asked.

"I guess we can finally go to the bedroom, huh?"

"Woah, dude! Not even gonna pay me dinner first?" Joked Sam, grinning.

Luna was sure her face was the same color as Lana's cap now. "Wuh- Wha?" Was all she could blabber before releasing the blonde's hand.

"WATCH OUT!" Lincoln yelled as Lily suddenly threw her controller away, hitting Lynn in the forehead and giving Luna some much needed distraction.

"Lincoln! What the heck!" Lynn shouted while massaging her bruised forehead. "What was that for?"

"I-It wasn't me! It was Lily, I swear!"

"Ideo gam!"

"Ew, that controller was on her mouth!" Lynn noticed that her forehead wasn't just bruised, it was also covered in baby spit. "Lincoln! Gross!"

"It wasn't my fault!"

"You were supposed to be watching her, you dolt!"

"Dang it, Lily..."

"Poo poo!"

"Dang it, Lily!"

The house had completely devolved into chaos by now. If this was a normal day, Luna wouldn't even have noticed it. But today was not a normal day, and even though the chaos and noise today was no worse than usual, Luna was still aware of how crazy this all must look to a stranger.

Even though she wished the house wasn't in mayhem for once, if there was one thing Luna learned by growing up in the Loud house, it was how to navigate between all the chaos and fighting, so she took Sam's hand again and bolted in the direction of the stairs.

"Upstairs! Quick!" She shouted as she pulled Sam away from the now naked Lily, jumped above Lola's car while the princess resumed her chase against Lana, ducked as Luan prepared another pun, and ran past Lori and Lisa fighting in the middle of the stairs.

Luna never thought about trying to change her siblings or control them because, at the end of the day, they were Louds through and through. But sometimes she did wonder if all that mayhem was really necessary.

This was  _definitely_  one of those times.

* * *

When Luna invited Sam to her house, she imagined them both spending some time together in peace and quiet (for once) while she gathered the courage to confess her feelings for the blonde girl. As soon as Luna remembered her siblings, however, she could expect all kinds of questions and interruptions at all times, but nothing out of the ordinary.

What she did not expect was Sam almost getting hurt thrice in less than five minutes and then having to run around the house just to reach the bedroom.

The girls panted as they leaned against Luna's bedroom door, both trying to catch their breaths after their impromptu obstacle race.

"I... I guess..." Luna panted as she opened the bedroom door and flopped on the floor. "I guess with a family as big as mine, even getting to the bedroom is a freaking chore..."

"Yeah dude..." Sam waited a bit before following Luna, as she was still out of breath. "Your siblings are..."

"Loud?"

"I was gonna say "lovely" but sure! That works too..."

Luna waited for Sam to enter the room and sit on the bed before kicking the door shut without getting up. "Sorry about that mess."

"It's cool! I swear dude, your siblings are cool! They're just a bit, uh, overwhelming I guess."

"Yeah. Tell me about it."

"Funny kid, that Lincoln. Apologizes too much, though. Reminds me of someone..." Sam joked as she got out of bed and sat on the floor, trying to get a better look at the rocker who was currently face first on the carpet.

"Oh, shut up!" Luna tried to sound mad, but couldn't keep a small chuckle out of her voice as she raised her head to look at the shorter girl sitting in front of her.

Sam leaned down until she was lying on the floor close to Luna, but still not taking her eyes off the rocker. "Come and shut it."

 _'God, this girl is gonna kill me...'_ Luna immediately put her face on the floor again, almost scared her blush would burn through the carpet, but Sam just laughed.  _'Does she even know how she makes me feel when she says stuff like that?'_

They stayed like that for a minute or two, neither saying anything, both just enjoying each other's company. Luna hid her face on the carpet and hoped that her crush couldn't see her blushing in the low light of her room. But even though she was more flustered than she could remember being in a long time, Luna enjoyed this moment. She knew that from now on she would have Sam just for her, even if only for a day. Even if only to do some dumb chemistry homework.

Today. Today was the day she promised herself that she would tell Sam.

_'Sigh... at least I don't think I can embarrass myself any more than I already have.'_

"So..." The blonde girl broke the silence, finally.

"Hmm?"

Luna could almost hear the grin in her voice. "Sammy, huh?"

_'Dang it.'_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a bit longer but I'm pretty satisfied with how it came out. I know that during the episode, all the Louds talked as if they already knew who Sam was, but I thought it would be fun to imagine what would happen if they were led to think that she was a boy like we did instead.


	3. Just like an angel in the sunset

"I was just, you know, trying to keep you from being trampled by my family!" Luna Loud had many qualities. She was a musical prodigy, a great sister, and even an almost decent cook. But if there was one thing she wasn't good at, lying was definitely it. "Trust me dude, they were gonna ask you a hundred questions each."

"Sure, I'm gonna pretend to believe that." Sam chuckled as she went through the stuff in her backpack, looking for her homework. "Still doesn't explain the "Sammy", though." She was grinning at Luna, waiting for a reaction from the flustered rocker.

"Oh man, look at all this homework we're supposed to be doing!" The brunette gestured wildly to to papers now scattered on the floor, not so subtly trying to change the subject. "All this chemistry we aren't doing! How about we do that instead?"

Sam couldn't contain her laughter at that. "Oh my god, you're such a dork!"

"Yeah, yeah, but you love me anyway." Luna grinned as she unloaded her own backpack.

"True." Sam replied without looking back at the taller girl, too focused on her homework to move her head.

Luna didn't say anything after that, afraid the butterflies in her stomach might escape if she opened her mouth, choosing instead to bury her face in her own homework.  _'Get your shit together Luna! You've been blushing all day, what the hell! This isn't you, girl, come on!'_

"I don't mind it, though."

"Huh?" Luna, confused, looked up to see the blonde with a small smile on her face, but still staring at the papers on her lap. "Don't mind what?"

"You calling me that. It's... it's kinda cute, actually."

"Oh." Luna's mind was blank, and she couldn't say much more than that. The whole room was gone, and the only thing left was the blonde punk girl sitting in front of her. Luna couldn't take her eyes off of her, and she couldn't help but notice every little detail about Sam she could see in the low light of the bedroom. The brunette was completely enraptured by the way she constantly brushed the blue-dyed lock of hair away from her eyes, the way she sat with one knee raised, exposed under her ripped jeans, the way her ear piercings seemed to glimmer in the low light, or the way her old The Whom t-shirt had rode up slightly under her faded blue jacket, exposing just a bit of pale skin. Luna could not look at the girl's long lashes or slightly large, upturned nose or her wild blonde and blue hair without thinking she was the prettiest girl in the world. In her state of enchantment, it was hard for Luna to tell if she had been staring for five seconds or for five minutes.

As she admired the punk girl, she couldn't help but notice the soft pink tint in her cheeks, barely visible in the bedroom light.  _'Is... is she_   _blushing? S-She can't be... right?'_

"I might have to come up with a cheesy nickname for you too, though." Sam's voice brought the rocker back from her trance, startling her a bit. "Just to be fair, y'know?"

"You are the worst." Luna looked away suddenly, trying to pretend she wasn't staring at her friend just a few seconds ago.

"Yeah, yeah..." The smaller girl laughed. "But you love me anyway."

_'I... I think I do. I think I might really do.'_

And their afternoon went on like that. They laughed, joked, tried (and failed) to focus on their homework, even getting the occasional interruptions from Luna's siblings. After a few minutes, Luna forgot her embarrassment almost completely, so engrossed in their conversation to remember being flustered, and too busy talking about nothing in particular to realize how fast time was passing, despite not feeling it pass at all.

But pass it did, and quickly a few minutes turned into 15 minutes...

"So, no offense, dude, but I think it's gonna take a while before I can get your sisters' names right." Sam said while trying to balance a pencil on her upper lip.

"Eh. My dad called me "Luan" yesterday. I don't think they'll mind."

...and 15 minutes turned into an hour...

"What does "chemical equilibrium" even mean?!" Sam plopped on the floor and threw her paper up angrily, only to have it slowly land on her face.

"Dude, I have no idea." Luna had given up on trying to do her own homework, deciding instead to strum some melody with no rhythm on her acoustic guitar. "I'm pretty sure my sister knows all about that."

"Uhh, which one?"

...that turned into an hour and a half...

The girls heard a knock on the door before hearing the unmistakable lispy voice of Lisa. "It has come to my knowledge that you are having issues comprehending your basic chemistry school assignments."

"HOW?" Shouted Luna, wondering how the hell did Lisa find out about that, considering they hadn't even left the room.

...that turned into two hours...

"Hey Luna! Do you guys wanna play Super Smash Sisters?" This time it was Lincoln shouting behind the door. "Lily isn't that good at it..."

"Uh, sorry little bro! We're doing homework right now."

"Are we, though?" Sam whispers, pointing at all the scattered paper and the guitar on Luna's lap.

...and as the day kept going...

"Dude, what's that noise."

"I dunno, rats in the vents probably?" Luna said, looking at the vent cover in the ceiling. "Or maybe a raccoon. This house is kind of a zoo, really."

Sam laid down on the floor, staring starry-eyed at the ceiling. "Cool..."

...and coming to an end, the girls were too engrossed in their own little world to notice that the Sun would soon set.

"-and she was  _so_  pissed when I came home with my ears pierced! Oh, hold on." The blonde punk had to cut her story short when she realized her phone had been vibrating for a while. "Oh man, it's my mom."

"What? What does she want?" Luna suddenly felt nervous, as if she had just been caught doing something wrong, but couldn't actually tell  _why_  she felt like that.

"Nothing, just wants me to go home before it gets dark." Sam replied calmly. However, her eyes grew wide as she locked her phone and looked at the clock. "Holy shit, look at the time!"

As she heard that, Luna looked out the window and realized that it was late afternoon already. The clouds were pink by now and the Sun would soon start to set.

And with a pang of sadness, she realized that just like the Sun would soon be going away, so would Sam, and she hadn't even told her how she felt yet.

 _'Okay Luna, you only have a few minutes... today is the day!'_ "Then I guess you gotta go now, huh?" Luna hoped the blonde wouldn't notice the slight disappointment in her voice.

Sam sighed as she started picking up all the paper scattered around the room. "Yeah..."

Her heart ached in sympathy as she noticed that the smaller girl seemed to be almost as upset as she was. "Here, lemme help you." Luna said, picking up some of the paper Sam had missed.

As they finished putting everything inside the backpack, their hands brushed together and Luna quickly pulled away, trying hard not to blush.

She could swear she saw the blonde's cheeks go pink again, though.

As she closed her backpack, Sam got up and flung it over her shoulder, smiling softly and looking away, towards the window. "Thanks..."

"It was nothing..."  _'Do something, Luna!'_

As they walked out of the room, Luna suddenly stopped and held up her arm, keeping Sam from walking away.

"Dude, what's wrong?"

Luna didn't reply. Instead, she looked exaggeratedly from side to side, as if looking for someone.

"All clear! No siblings in sight!" Luna whispered loudly, earning her a quiet laugh from Sam.

"Did I tell you that you're a dork already?" The blonde asked, chuckling. "Oh yeah, I have! You're a dork!"

"Shhhhhhhhh! They're gonna hear us!" The rocker shushed her with a finger covering a growing smile as she tried to not start laughing too. "Come on!" She whispered again, taking the shorter girl's hand and pulling her closer, not noticing the blush creeping up on her face.

Still holding hands, both girls descended downstairs while pretending to tiptoe and trying not to laugh, and, after Luna checked to make sure no one was around, they bolted towards the door. Once outside, both finally stopped holding it in and immediately started laughing loudly, even forgetting that they were still holding hands.

"I know I just said this but, you..." Sam wiped a tear away as she tried to stop laughing, to no avail. "-you are such a dork! I can't believe it!"

"Well, you went along with it! So who's the real dork now, huh?" Luna shot back, still doubling over from laughter.

"I'm pretty sure it's you, dude."

"Whatever, you're a giant dork too, just admit it!"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever." Sam finally managed to stop laughing, and was now trying to catch her breath. "Anyway..."

The realization that it was time to say goodbye immediately stopped Luna's laughter, suddenly replacing her mirth with both sadness for their parting and dread as she now had only a minute or so to tell the blonde punk how she really felt.

"Thanks, Luna."

"What?" The brunette was brought back from her thoughts, confused, and turned to look at the smaller girl leaning on the porch.

"For today. I just..." She looked at a loss of words as she looked at the sunset and brushed her blue lock away from her eyes and tucked it behind her ear. "I had fun."

"I-I had fun too." Luna stammered as she tried to extend their time together as much as she could, not wanting to say goodbye yet, even though she knew they would still see each other at school tomorrow. "I'm really sorry about-"

The rocker was suddenly interrupted by a loud explosion sound coming from the second floor.

"LISA! THIS IS  _LITERALLY_  YOUR LAST WARNING!" They heard Lori shout from somewhere inside the house.

"-the mess." She completed, slightly ashamed. But Sam merely laughed at that.

"It's okay, dude, I swear!" She chuckled. "I mean it. Today has been great."

Even though Luna was relieved to hear that, no, she hadn't completely weirded out her crush with her  _slightly_  crazy family, she said nothing as she leaned into the porch and looked at Sam.

She thought that she looked absolutely angelic like this, looking into the horizon while bathed in the orange glow of the sunset, the pink clouds behind her bringing out her dyed hair and a serene expression on her face, unusual for the usually slightly cocky girl.

Luna could feel her heart beating harder at the sight. She felt both heavier and lighter than ever, her head light but her legs threatening to give up beneath her weight. She could feel her mouth dry up as she opened it and closed it several times, trying, but failing, to come up with something,  _anything_  else to say, but too scared to say anything and not wanting to disturb the girl who currently seemed lost in her thoughts.

 _'God, she looks so...'_  She couldn't think of any words to describe her, for none seemed good enough to fit who she thought was the prettiest girl in the world.  _'She looks just like an angel in the sunset...'_

_'...dammit Luna. That was so cheesy, what the hell.'_

"So..." Once again, hearing the girl beside her talk brought Luna back to reality, and she blinked twice before realizing that yes, she was  _definitely_  staring.

"I guess I should go now. Before it get's dark, y'know?" Hearing this, the brunette's eyes went wide. She didn't have much time left. "See ya, Luna." Sam said as she started walking down the steps.

"SAM! Wait!" Before she could go, however, Luna jumped over and grabbed her hand, almost falling over in the process.

"Luna?" Sam was staring at her now, confused.

"S-sorry, I just, you know, I- You- D-do you..."  _'Do you want to go out with me?'_  Was what Luna wanted to say, but as she stared into the smaller girl's eyes, she was suddenly at a loss of words.

Luna realized that finding herself staring at her friend was becoming more and more common, and her throat seemed to close up as she took in every single detail of the girl's face, from her long, dark eyelashes, much more visible on wide eyes  _'Gosh, her eyes are just so pretty...'_  , to the way her mouth opened a bit, as if wanting to say something but not having just the right words yet, thin lips parting ever so slightly _'She just looks so soft...'_ ,to the way the soft pink in her cheeks deepened when she held her hand like this  _'Oh god, She's **definitely**  blushing...'._

As she felt her mouth dry and her throat close up, even as she told herself  _'It's now or never...'_ , even as she felt how soft Sam's hand felt on hers and how she  _definitely_  wanted to hold it a bit longer, Luna realized one thing.

She wasn't ready.

She looked away. "Do you wanna... come back again tomorrow, maybe?" Was all she managed to say, even after beating herself up all day to make sure she confessed. In the end, she didn't, and even though she didn't show it, Luna suddenly felt something that she didn't feel very often.

The urge to cry.

That urge, though, was quickly forgotten when she heard a small laugh coming from the beautiful girl in front of her.

"I'd  _love_  to." Was all she needed to say to soothe the rocker's heart, even if just a bit.

And just like that Luna was staring again, trying to burn that wondrous smile in her memory, a smile from ear to ear accentuated by a soft blush and the cutest dimples on her cheeks. That smile, along with the soft golden glow of the end of the day, truly made Sam look divine to her. _'She **does**  look like an angel...'_

"Goodbye, Luna!" The punk said, still smiling. "I'll see ya tomorrow!" She waved as she descended the steps and started walking fast, trying to get home before dark.

Luna couldn't help but crack the biggest smile and wave too. "See ya..." She said softly, knowing that the girl could no longer hear her.

Feeling exhausted after what felt like an emotional roller coaster, Luna slumped over the porch, sighing.  _'I didn't tell her, but that's cool, I guess... She... she likes me too, right? I mean, she **was**  blushing pretty hard right then, and I think... Was she flirting with me back then? God, what if I'm just imagining stuff...'._ She sighed again, rubbing her eyes with one hand as she used the other to lift herself from the porch.  _'Why is this so hard...'_

However, as she stared at the sunset and thought back about her day, Luna couldn't help but smile a bit.  _'I guess it really **was**  fun after all... and at least none of my siblings found out about this!' _She thought to herself, before hearing a monotone voice coming from behind her.

"You really like her, don't you?"

" **LUCY!** "

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't have much to say about this chapter other than the fact that 1) I'm typing this at 6am 2) expect to see more of the siblings next chapter, especially Lucy, Leni, and Lori 3) I love writing Luna completely head over heels for Sam and not noticing how she feels the same :3c Thank you all for reading and thank you for the kind words! I really don't have much time for writing during the day but reading all the kind comments here and on fanfiction net really make me want to continue writing this and improving myself : )


	4. Sister Talks - Part 1

By now, Luna was pretty much used to being scared by Lucy, the resident goth of the Loud house.

As opposed to Luna, Lucy had always been a quiet child. So quiet, in fact, that even her footsteps barely made a sound, making it hard to notice when she appeared, usually resulting in someone getting startled when they noticed her or, in this case, when she spoke to someone. Luna didn't know whether her sister did it on purpose or not, but sometimes she almost suspected that Lucy enjoyed scaring people like that.

Luna, much like everyone else living in the Loud house, was so used to being scared by the young goth that normally she would quickly get over the initial scare and move on, not even getting frustrated or angry at the frequency in which that happened anymore.

But this time it was different. Scarier. Not due to the way she suddenly appeared, but to the words she said.

As the rocker quickly got over the usual scare and finally processed the words her little sister had said, she felt her stomach grow heavy and her throat dry up as she realized just what they meant.

 _'She knows.'_  Luna tensed up, looking around to make sure there was no one else nearby, as unlikely as that was.  _'How does she know?'_  She looked down at her sister, trying to read what the little girl was thinking. But, as always, Lucy was basically unreadable, her expression painfully neutral.

After checking the door and making sure it was closed, Luna got down on one knee, trying to get on eye level with Lucy, even though her long bangs made it hard to know  _where_  exactly her eyes were, and with as much conviction as she could muster, she said:

"What."

"You like Sammy." Lucy deadpanned. "As more than a friend."

"How..." Luna didn't know what to say. She  _knew_  her sister knew it. She heard it the first time. But hearing the little goth confirm it only made her heart beat harder in her chest. "...how did you know?"

"The spirits told me."

Luna could almost feel her jaw hit the floor as she heard that. She had always found Lucy's affinity for the supernatural a bit too morbid for her tastes, even getting a little spooked by it sometimes, but now she could feel a chill running down her spine, not wanting to believe in what her sister had just said.

"I'm joking." The goth stated, noticing the uneasiness in her older sister's expression.

 _'Dang it, Lucy...'_  The rocker released a breath she didn't even know she was holding, her whole body slumping forward with relief.  _'Don't joke like that, dude. You're gonna kill your sister...'_

"I noticed how tense you were today." Lucy continued. "You seemed unusually nervous when introducing us to Sammy, which didn't happen the other times you brought friends over. She seemed surprised when you suddenly called her "Sammy", which means you usually don't call her that. That, combined with the knowledge that you had a crush on "someone" named Sam, made it obvious that Sammy was the person you had a crush on."

Luna only stared at her, dumbfounded. She knew that her little sister preferred to just observe from far away most of the time, but she had no idea she could be  _that_  perceptive.

The goth allowed a tiny smirk on her face as she watched the expression of disbelief in the rocker's face. "I also read a bunch of romance novels." She whispered.

The older girl blinked twice at that, and rubbed her face as she tried to process what her sister had just said. "Well, at least you didn't find that out by spying through the vents or something..." She sighed, sitting down on the porch.

"Oh, no, I was definitely in the vents." Lucy's expression quickly changed back to her usual neutral stare. "I just wasn't spying."

"Dude, what!?" The rocker frowned at that, suddenly scared of just  _how much_  the goth had heard in there.

"Don't act offended, you called me a rat." She recalled. "Or a raccoon."

"Ugh, nevermind, just..." Luna rubbed her temples, not wanting to think much about her spooky sibling's antics. One thing still troubled her mind, though, and she couldn't stand not knowing it anymore. "...does anyone else know?"

Lucy slowly turned her head towards the door, as if she could see right through it. "Well..." She hesitated before facing Luna again. "Knowing our siblings, I wouldn't be surprised if maybe two or three of them suspected it. But I don't think anyone knows for certain, though."

The older girl sighed again, feeling all the insecurities and fears she had forgotten during the afternoon returning. "That's... good."

Noticing her sister's distress, Lucy slowly walked closer and sat next to her, but remaining silent as she did so, not uttering a word.

As they sat in silence, Luna started thinking about how the rest of her family would react, and, as she realized it was only a matter of time before they all knew, even if she was convinced that it was completely irrational, the fear of rejection started surfacing again.  _'They love me, I **know**  that. But...'_

"Don't you think it's weird?" She broke the silence suddenly and, for once, Lucy was the one startled, although Luna was almost unable to tell, since the small girl barely moved at all.

"What?" The young girl asked, raising her head so she could look at her sister's face.

"Y-you know, that I'm into girls." Luna looked down, flustered. "Don't you think it's weird? Or wrong? O-or disgusting? Or-" As she began to breathe heavily, Luna realized just how much she was really afraid. She really didn't expect to get this nervous coming out to just one sibling, especially a younger one like Lucy, and she did not dare to imagine just how stressful it would be to come out to the others. "-don't you think  _I'm_  weird?"

Lucy had never seen her big sister this vulnerable before. Sure, Luna would sometimes get nervous before playing in front of a big crowd, or upset when she found out one of her siblings had gone to a concert without her, but as she scooched over to her sister's side, Lucy realized she was holding back tears.

In an attempt to comfort the older girl, she put a hand on her shoulder, but as Luna looked at her in surprise, she hesitated in saying anything, not knowing what to say to make her feel better.

If Luna could see past her sibling's bangs, she would have notice the worry in her eyes, instead of the the usual neutral mask she wore.

"Sigh..." Lucy sighed. Or said, actually. "I know you must be scared of what I think of you right now, but we are all going to die anyway, so I don't think our differences really matter in the end."

The rocker felt another chill going down her spine, clearly spooked by the goth's comment. But, knowing her sister, she knew that this was her way of assuring her she accepted her, so a small smile formed on her lips, even as she fought back the tears. "Way spooky, sis... but thanks."

"Besides," The small girl continued. "I know I don't say this often, but..." She hesitated, struggling to find the right words.

Luna looked at her sister, confused as she hadn't expected the usually quiet girl to say anything else.

"You're my big sister, Luna, and I love you." In an uncharacteristic display of affection, Lucy gave the older girl's arm a quick hug, but releasing her after no more than a few seconds. "You're family, and nothing is ever going to change that." She assured her, a small smile on her usually stoic face.

Luna couldn't help but smile at that, and it was her turn to hug the goth, pulling her closer into a side hug. "Thanks, Spooky." She said, trying to hold back the tears. "That... that means a lot."

Lucy didn't say anything, choosing instead to just appreciate the silence as they stayed like this, hugging and and looking at the last remnants of the sunset as the day finally turned into night. She knew that she and Luna weren't the closest of sisters, but she still appreciated every moment with her, even if they didn't say much to each other. Lucy would never say it out loud, but she admired the rocker, and definitely thought that she was the coolest out of all her older sisters, even getting into death metal and other kinds of heavy rock because of her. Seeing her this vulnerable was shocking to her, and even though she didn't say it, she would do anything to make her feel better.

After a few minutes, Luna finally got up, not wanting to stay outside as the night began to get chilly. "Can you..." She hesitated, lost in thought. "Can you not tell the others? About, uh, you know-" Luna gestured to herself. "-me?"

"Sure." Lucy didn't hesitate. If keeping a secret was what she had to do to see her sister cheery and carefree again, then she would gladly do it (well, as "gladly" as she could do anything). "I'm great at keeping secrets."

"You won't have to keep it for long." The older girl assured. "I'm gonna tell them all myself! Eventually..." Luna added, a bit crestfallen.

"Oh. Do you... do you know who you're going to tell next?"

Luna hesitated a bit before answering. She was planning on telling most of their siblings at once, but there were still three names that came to mind when she thought about who she would tell on a one-on-one conversation.

"Actually, I do!" She said, seeming to be thinking of something. "Aaand, if you help me, I might just be able to tell her tonight!" Luna looked at Lucy, an expectant expression on her face.

The small girl actually seemed a bit surprised at that, but she quickly went back to her usual bored expression as she gave a thumbs up. "Sure."

"Thanks, Squirt." Luna beamed as she ruffled her sister's hair, earning her a small chuckle from the quiet girl. "I knew I could count on you, dude." She knew that she and Lucy weren't the closest of sisters, but she still appreciated every moment like this, when she could get any positive reaction out of the usually stoic girl. Luna never really told her, but she admired the goth, and definitely thought that she was the bravest out of all her little sisters, having found her passion so early in life and pursuing things that made even people older than herself spooked and confused. Seeing her smiling like that filled her heart with joy, and even though she didn't say it, she would do anything to see her smile more.

Her train of thought, however, was interrupted when they heard the sound of glass breaking and, for the fourth time today, the sound of a loud explosion coming from upstairs.

" _LYNN! I HAVE WARNED YOU BEFORE TO NOT PLAY YOUR **DUMB JOCK SPORTS**  NEAR MY EXPERIMENTS!_"

" _WELL, MAYBE **YOU**  SHOULDN'T BE DOING YOUR  **DUMB NERD EXPERIMENTS**  IN THE HALLWAY!_"

" ** _THAT'S IT! BOTH OF YOU! GO TO YOUR ROOMS LITERALLY RIGHT NOW!_** "

Both girls stared at the door, dumbfounded.

"I... guess we should go back inside." Luna suggested.

"Agreed."

As they walked towards the door, Luna put a hand on her sister's head and smiled. "Come on, Luce! I'll tell you my plan when we get out off the cold."

"Okay." Lucy replied, a small smile visible on her lips and a small tinge of excitement on her usual monotonous voice.

However, as Luna grabbed the doorknob it came off, and both sisters stared at the metal piece with their mouths agape before exclaiming in unison:

" _Dang it!_ "

* * *

Lori Loud was  _exhausted_.

She, despite what most people might think, loved her siblings. She would never admit it, after all, she had a reputation to maintain, but despite being so hard on her siblings, even bossy at times, she loved them dearly and she hoped that they knew that.

But despite loving them, they could tire her out sometimes, as was the case tonight.

Being the oldest, her parents trusted her to take care of all 10 of her siblings, some needing a bit more attention than others, and the only way she found to make her younger siblings listen to her was yelling at them, something she secretly hated just as much as they did.

Taking care of 10 kids and teenagers was certainly hard, but Lori was convinced that today had to have been the most tiring day she had had in a while. After spending the day yelling at Lisa for blowing up her room not once, not twice, but  _four_  times, at Lynn for breaking stuff around the house, and even at the twins after Lola accidentally ran over her foot with her princess car earlier, Lori felt ready to crash. And that's not even counting the fact that she had to help Luna and Lucy get back in the house after they spent 30 minutes stuck outside for God knows what reason. That's why, after changing into her sleep shorts and white tanktop, flopping into bed, and texting Bobby everything that happened during the day, she was glad to just enjoy a moment of peace and quiet while her sister Leni sat on her own bed drawing something, a dress design, Lori noticed, and the younger ones were getting ready for bed.

She could finally enjoy a moment of silence, and she would accept any silence she could get in this loud house.

Lori only realized how stressed she was, however, when her much needed quiet was interrupted by three knocks on the bedroom door, and she had to take a large breath and close her eyes to prevent herself from getting  _too_  angry at whoever dared to bother her this late at night.

She was still angry, though.

 _'This better be an emergency, or I swear to God.'_ She thought as she sighed, stomping towards the door. "Whoever is bothering me this late better be  _literally_  dying! If not, I'm gonna-" Her words died in her throat when she opened the door and saw no one, before looking down and noticing Lucy, already in the white t-shirt and stripped pants she wore to bed, looking up at her with an unreadable expression.

"Lucy?" Her anger faded away instantly, giving way to confusion. Of all her younger siblings, the quiet girl was the last one Lori expected to come to her room, especially this late at night. At least not without popping up from who knows where and scaring her.

"I need Leni's help." Lucy stated in her usual monotone voice, not moving away from the door.

"Uhh, sure." Lori was still too surprised by the girl's sudden visit to say anything else, only glancing at Leni, who looked up from her sketchbook after hearing her name.

"You need...  _my_  help?" Leni put her sketchbook down, confused.

"Yes. I need..." The goth hesitated, but her expression was still painfully neutral. "...fashion advice."

The fashionista gasped loudly at that, a smile so wide on her face it almost hurt. "Say no more!" She exclaimed excitedly as she picked up her sketchbook and ran out the door, taking a startled Lucy by the hand with her.

 _'That was... unusual.'_  Lori thought to herself as she went back to bed.  _'Well, if they don't destroy the house then it's none of my business.'_

As she laid down and closed her eyes, Lori sighed as she felt herself falling asleep.  _'Finally... some well deserved peace and-'_

She was suddenly jolted awake when she heard someone knocking at the door. Again.

 _'This time it **better**  be an emergency.'_ Lori ran her hands down her face in frustration before finally getting out of bed and stomping towards the door. "What is it n-" But once again, she was at a loss of words when she opened the door and found Luna, already wearing her purple skull nightshirt, but, unlike Lucy, with a slightly nervous expression.

"Luna...?" Just like when Lucy appeared, Lori was more confused than angry. Luna was, for the most part, a very understanding and responsible sister, and despite the rocker's constant words of rebellion, it was actually very rare for her to disobey Lori's orders, and so she would definitely never show up uninvited without a good reason, especially not when she knew that Lori was trying to sleep. "Is there something you need?"

"Oh, uh, you know!" Luna smiled nervously, fidgeting with the collar of her shirt. "Just wanted to, uh, have a nice conversation with my favorite big sis!"

Or maybe not.

Lori looked back at the clock in her nightstand, before giving her younger sister an unamused look and sighing. "Beat it, twerp." She said as she tried to close the door.

"Wait! Wait! Lori!" However, Luna stuck her foot between it and the door frame, trying to keep her from closing the door. "Can we just- Can we talk? Please?"

The older girl looked intently at Luna, as if trying to read her thoughts, before sighing and going back to bed. "Come in." She signaled.

Luna sighed in relief before getting in. After she locked the door behind her, the brunette walked silently and sat on Lori's bed, on the side opposite to the one her sister was sitting.

As they sat in silence, Lori looked at her younger sister and noticed just how nervous she looked. Luna was trying to look at anywhere but Lori, and she wouldn't stop picking on the hem of her shirt. Lori had seem her sister nervous many times before. She remembered how nervous Luna would get when coming home from school with a bad grade, especially when she was younger, or how scared she got when she accidentally broke their mom's favorite coffee mug. Lori was her big sister, and so it was to be expected that she had seem Luna nervous many times more than their other siblings, but this was the first time in a long while that she saw her normally upbeat and loud sister this anxious.

Luna wasn't much shorter than Lori, but right now she looked absolutely tiny with anxiety.

The older girl's patience, however, was starting to thin, so if Luna wasn't going to say anything, then she would be the one to break the silence.

"Okay, Luna." She said, startling the nervous rocker beside her. "Something's up. Spit it out." She ordered.

"W-well, uh, you see..." Luna started, trying to keep up her nervous smile but quickly dropping it after sighing. "How do you know you if like someone? Like,  _like_  like someone?" She asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

Lori's eyes widened in surprised. Luna was the last sister she would expect to have boy problems. She was funny, smart, talented, and one of the most easygoing people she knew, and she thought that her sister was probably used to male attention by now. Still, Lori couldn't stop feeling a pang of pride in knowing that, even after all this time, her sister still looked for her advice when she had problems.

"Well, I'm not gonna say I was expecting you to ask me that, but I'm glad you came to me anyway!" The blonde sat closer to her sister as she put a hand on her shoulder. "You see, when you  _really_  like someone, you start thinking about them literally all the time, you know? You feel light when they speak, and you feel sad when they go away, even if only for a while." Lori said, clearly thinking about her boyfriend, Bobby. Despite what her siblings might think, Bobby wasn't the only thing on her mind all the time, but she still thought about him a lot. She had been devastated when he moved away, but they promised to be strong for each other and try to make a long distance relationship work. Despite what  _Lori_  might think, some of her siblings even admired their relationship and commitment.

"You can't stop thinking about how much you want to hold their hand, or see their smile, and you can literally see their face even when you close your eyes..." Lori added. But, as she looked at Luna, she realized that the younger girl was looking at her feet, and other than a small blush, her expression was unreadable, as if she wasn't even listening. "But you already know that, don't you, Luna?"

Luna nodded slowly, as if ashamed, and kept fidgeting with the hem of her shirt instead of looking at Lori. _'This is so unlike her... what's wrong, Luna?'_ The blonde thought to herself.

Since the rocker seemed to be in no rush to speak up, Lori decided to just ask her herself. "So, who's the lucky boy?" She asked, wondering if it was that Sam guy from two weeks ago.

But, as soon as she asked that, Luna flinched and crossed her arms, as if hugging her chest, and as Lori got closer, she noticed that the girl was holding back tears, a grimace etched into her face.  _'Oh something is definitely wrong...'_  She thought, worriedly.

"Luna...?" As concern overtook her, Lori dropped any pretenses of being the bossy and distant sister, and she sat closer to Luna as she put an arm around her. "...is everything alright?"

The brunette sighed and took a deep breath before attempting to speak. Her voice was laced with fear and anxiety, and Lori barely heard her as she started talking, her voice barely a whisper.

"Lori..." Luna gulped before continuing. "W-would you... would you be mad at me if the person I liked wasn't a boy?" She finally looked at her older sister as she asked that. Her eyes were filled with both worry and tears, and she seemed to hold her breath as she looked at Lori, looking for any signs of rejection in her face.

 _'Oh, Luna... so that's what this is all about.'_  The blonde's heart almost broke at the sight of the fearful expression in her younger sister's face, fighting back the tears.

Lori didn't even need to think about it. She pulled her sister into a hug and started caressing her hair in an attempt to calm her. "Of course not, Luna." She assured her, softly. "I love you. I love you and nothing is ever gonna change that, okay?"

That finally broke the dam, and although Lori couldn't see her face, she could feel the younger girl release a sob, and she just kept petting her hair as she lowered Luna's head into her lap. "I'm- I'm so sorry, Lori!" She sobbed. "I know it was dumb, but I was just- I was just so scared..."

"It's okay, Luna, it's okay..." Lori reassured her, caressing her back in an attempt to soothe her sister's crying. "You're okay, everything is gonna be alright." She whispered.

Few people had ever seen Luna cry like that. Other than her parents, the only ones Luna didn't feel the need to be strong around were Leni, who would always be there for anyone who needed comfort, and Lori, who was currently letting the distraught rocker cry for as long as she needed to.

It was hard to guess, seeing how they seemed to be constantly annoyed by each other's antics, but Lori was one of the closest sisters to Luna. Luna respected Lori's authority and admired the way she always seemed to stay relatively calm and find a solution for every solution, while Lori loved how Luna was just the right balance of caring and responsible, while still keeping her free spirited and passionate attitude. She knew that Luna would be the one that took care of her siblings and the house when Lori goes to college in a year or two, and she was positive that her sister would do a great job at it.

Even though she appreciated being trusted enough for Luna to not feel the need to hold back her tears, seeing her sister cry was one of the things that Lori hated the most, but she said nothing as she ran her fingers through the girl's short hair and waited for her to calm down.

They stayed like that for a minute or two, Lori playing with Luna's hair, and Luna with her head on Lori's lap and and her arms around her sister. Both stayed in silence, and other than Luna's occasional sobs and heavy breathing, not a sound could be heard in the room.

Lori waited for her sister to calm down a bit before talking again. "You know, Luna..." She started, making the younger girl look up at her. She wasn't sobbing anymore, but her eyes were still puffy and her face was red from crying. "You don't remember this since you were so young at the time- Well, I  _hope_  you don't remember this but," The blonde chuckled as she saw the rocker's confused expression. "When you were about three years old, I accidentally hurt you." Luna sat up upon hearing that, not knowing where her sister wanted to get with this, but too curious to interrupt the story. "Well, I didn't hurt you exactly, but I let you get hurt anyway. We were playing in the kitchen and you tried to climb a chair, but couldn't get down once you did it. I, stupid as I was back then, told you to  _literally_  jump instead of helping you down, because I thought I could catch you! Of course I wasn't able to catch you, though. I was just a dumb five year-old, so when you jumped we both fell on the ground and you ended up hitting your head pretty hard on the floor. It was so scary to me! You immediately started screaming like I had never heard you scream before, and I panicked thinking I had broken my little sister or something." Luna was still confused, but she was so engrossed in her sister's story that she barely remembered that she was crying just a minute ago. "I did everything I could to make you stop crying, but you only stopped after mom picked you up and took care of your head. It was just a bump really, nothing serious, but I felt so guilty... Even though you had already forgotten about it the next day, I couldn't sleep right for a week after that, too scared I would hear you crying again if I closed my eyes."

After looking at Luna to make sure she was still listening, Lori put a hand on her sister's red cheek, wiping away a tear with her thumb, and looked her in the eyes. "After that whole incident, I promised myself that I would never make you cry like that again, and that I would make sure to always protect you and our siblings from getting harmed, especially by me." She smiled a smile full of melancholy, but one that still managed to warm Luna's heart. "I promised myself that I would never hurt you like that again, and I plan on keeping that promise, Luna. You are my family!" Lori pulled her sister into another hug, holding her tight as if she was afraid to let go. "I know I don't say that enough, but I love you so, so much... You're always going to be my baby sister, and nothing is ever,  _ever_  changing that, you hear me?" She kissed the top of Luna's head before letting go, noticing the girl was holding back tears again.

Luna sniffed and rubbed her eyes before starting to laugh softly. "Geez, Lori... You're gonna make me cry again." Lori merely smiled at that.

She was so glad to finally see her sister smile again.  _'Being down like that is just... it's so not you, Luna.'_ She thought as she lied down, exhausted.

"So, you like that Sammy girl, don't you?" Lori asked, a knowing smile forming on her lips as she looked at Luna.

"How did you know?"

The blonde laughed at the question. "Really, Luna? You give a love letter to this "Sam" person and then two weeks later you show up with a girl named  _literally_  Sammy. Do I need to say anything else?" She smirked.

"Yeah... I guess that was kinda obvious." The brunette rubbed her arm as she looked away, flustered.

"Hmm..."

"What?"

"You guys would look cute together." The older girl stated.

Luna looked at her sister, seeing a soft smile that looked almost foreign on the usually bossy and cranky girl. "Aw... thanks, dude." She said, looking away to hide a smile of her own.

"Have you told her yet?"

"Well..." The rocker's smile disappeared, a disappointed expression taking over as she looked down. "I was gonna tell her today but... I just couldn't do it..."

Lori smiled sadly at her sister. She knew how hard confessing your feelings to someone was, but she could only imagine how much harder it must be when that someone might not even be  _able_  to feel the same for you.

"You'll tell her when the time is right, sis." She tried reassuring the saddened rocker. "I believe in you."

This earned her a small smile, albeit a sad one. "Thanks, Lori."

"Have you... uh, told anyone else about this?" The blonde was afraid asking this might not be a smart move. It wasn't something she needed to know, despite her curiosity, and her sister was already in a fragile state. But her fears were quickly forgotten as Luna didn't seem to mind the question.

"Well, technically Lucy found out on her own, so no, you're actually the first person I come out to." The rocker said as she scratched the back of her head.

"Oh..." Lori often feared that her bossy demeanor and strict behavior would end up driving her siblings away, so, hearing that Luna not only trusted her, but trusted her enough to come to her first with something as big as this soothed her insecurities and made her beyond glad. "Thank you for trusting me, Luna." She said, letting a smile slowly take over her face.

It was Luna's turn to pull her the taller girl into a hug. "Always, sis, always..." She whispered, not sure he could be heard with her face buried in her sister's chest.

They stayed like that for a little longer, in each other's embrace, just enjoying each other's company in silence. Lori couldn't help but smile as she played with her sister's hair, not being able to remember the last time they hugged like this. "Hey..." She started in a small voice, not wanting to end this moment by disturbing the brunette. "If you want me to, I'm always going to be there to support you. You know that, right?" Lori looked at Luna as she pulled her head from her chest, staring at her older sister's face before cracking a smile.

"You know," The rocker smirked. "You're not as big of a bitch as we like to pretend you are."

"Really, Luna?" The blonde glared at her, unamused. "I try to be a decent big sister for  _once_  and this is how you repay me?" She said, trying to sound offended, but instead she broke down laughing as soon as she noticed Luna trying to hold back her own laughter.

And as the sisters laughed together, they realized that they hadn't done that in a long time, and it was something they missed dearly, even if neither of them would admit it.

"For real though." Lori said as she wiped off a tear. "Say shit like that one more time and I'll literally kick you out of the bed." She said, trying, and failing to sound serious.

Luna only smirked at her in response. "That's my sister."

Lori wanted to spend more time like this with her younger sister, just joking and laughing at each other's dumb antics. She really did. But as they heard someone turning the doorknob, they both realized that this moment couldn't last forever.

"Lori? I think you locked me out again!" They could hear Leni from the other side of the door, sounding slightly panicked. "Are you asleep already?"

"I guess I should go to my own room now..." Luna said as she got up.

"Yeah..." Lori was exhausted, but she missed spending quality time with her punk sister like that.

"Thanks for everything... I mean it." She smiled at her older sister as she walked towards the door.

"Thank  _you_  for trusting me." The blonde replied, smiling. "Goodnight, Lunes."

"Goodnight, sis..." The brunette hesitated a bit. "I love you." She added before opening the door and walking away, apologizing to Leni for locking her out of her own room.

Lori only smiled upon hearing those words. She knew that she didn't need to say anything else. She loved her sister to death, and now she was sure that she knew that too.

"What was Luna doing here?" Leni asked, still confused at everything that happened.

"Oh, she was just, you know," Lori hesitated for a bit, thinking of something to say that wouldn't be a lie, but also wouldn't hurt her rocker sister's privacy. "Asking me for some love advice!" She added quickly, knowing that was  _technically_  not a lie.

"Oh!" Leni gasped, excited. But quickly her expression changed from excitement to concern. "Are... are you alright, Lori?"

"Hmm?" The eldest sister was confused about why her roommate would ask her that, before realizing that she had been crying too before Luna left. "Oh. Yeah, I'm fine. Just exhausted is all." She assured her, rubbing her eyes. That  _technically_  wasn't a lie either.

"Well, then go to sleep, silly!" Her younger sister replied, satisfied with her excuse. "Don't let me keep you up!"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm going..." And go to sleep she did. Today had been a  _long_  day for Lori Loud, and she was absolutely exhausted, both physically and mentally, and so she fell asleep almost instantly after resting her head. She barely noticed that, instead of being about her far away boyfriend, this time her last thoughts before sleep were about her rocker sister.

 _'I just hope she doesn't get hurt.'_  Lori thought before finally drifting off to sleep.

* * *

Luna Loud was  _exhausted_.

As she came out of her older sisters's room, she slumped against the wall and sighed.

Today had been a long day for Luna. In just one day, she introduced her crush to her family, ran around the house more than once trying to avoid her siblings, spent an amazing afternoon with Sam and  _almost_ confessed her feelings!  _Twice_! She even came out to two of her sisters, and it was even on purpose for one of them. Today had been a long day for Luna, and she wasn't even counting the fact that she got locked outside with her spooky sister for almost 30 minutes in the cold.

She was absolutely exhausted, both physically and mentally, and so she wanted nothing more than to go to her room. However, she couldn't help but smile when she heard a familiar babbling noise coming from bellow.

"Heeey, if it isn't my favorite little dudette!" She exclaimed as she noticed Lily at her feet. "What are you doing out here this late, lil' Lil?"

"Wuna!" The baby said, raising her arms.

"Aw, come here!" Luna picked up her little sister, who giggled with joy. "Isn't it past your bedtime, little sis?" She asked, noticing the lavender footie pajamas the baby was wearing.

Lily, however, only blew a raspberry in response.

"Yeah, good point." The rocker agreed, rubbing her nose against Lily's and earning a hearty giggle from her baby sister.

Suddenly, Luna yawned, and then she sighed, realizing just how tired she really was. "At least I'm not gonna have to explain all this to you, huh?" Lily merely tilted her head in response.

"And what's that face supposed to mean, little dude?" Lily giggled and shushed her loudly, holding up a finger in front of her smiling mouth.

"Huh? Why are you shushing me, Lily?"

"How did your talk go?" A voice came from behind Luna, making her yelp and causing Lily to laugh loudly and clap her hands.

" _Lucy!_ " Luna turned quickly, embarrassed. "Don't scare me while I'm holding Lily!" She whispered loudly, not wanting to wake up any of her siblings that might be sleeping already.

"Sorry." Lucy said, looking absolutely not sorry as she covered a giggle with both hands.

"You two planned this, didn't you?" She asked looking at Lily, who was also trying to cover her giggles while she looked at her big sister with her big, happy eyes.

However, before Luna could scold any of her sisters any more, she noticed something she hadn't seen because of the dark in the hallway. "What's up with that hat?" She asked the goth.

Luna didn't notice it before, but Lucy was wearing a large black sunhat, with a big black and white stripped ribbon and small, almost unnoticeable details that reminded her of cobwebs.

"Leni just finished making this for me." Lucy said, with what almost sounded like pride in her voice.

The rocker's eyes widened. She knew her big sister was talented when it came to clothes and other artesanal activities, but she didn't think she was capable of making a hat like that in only the twenty or so minutes she spent in Lori's room. "Cool." Was all she managed to say, though.

Her thoughts were interrupted when she felt another yawn coming, and then she noticed Lucy stretching up her arms towards Lily. "I'll put her in bed. You should go to sleep too." She said in a monotone voice, and Luna agreed, feeling completely exhausted, and gave the goth her baby sister.

She couldn't hold back her smile when she looked at Lucy, in her big black sunhat, carrying Lily, half asleep in her lavender footie pajamas.  _'Those two are just the cutest!'_  She thought to herself as she saw Lucy try to hold back a yawn, a rare sight to see on the goth's usually unmoving face. "You should go to bed too, lil sis."

"Okay." Lucy said as she started to walk towards the other side of the hallway, where both her's and Lily's rooms were.

Luna was ready to crash at any second now. However, before she opened her bedroom's door, Lucy called out to her once more.

"Luna."

"Hmm?"

"You know that when the others find out, they're probably going to try and meddle in your relationship with Sam, don't you?" Her little sister asked, not turning around.

Luna stopped as she heard that.

She thought about her siblings, about the emotional conversations she had today, and about how she would feel so much more  _free_  when her family finally knew about her. She thought hard about all that, and about how she had been uncharacteristically anxious lately. She thought about all that before looking back at her sister.

Luna smiled, her mind finally made up. "I wouldn't have it any other way."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wooh boy. I think this chapter is about as long as the rest of the fic combined, definitely my longest chapter yet, and I am _exhausted._ A few things I wanted to say about this chapter: 1- Coming out is goddamn terrifying, even if you have a loving family, and especially if you _don't._ 2- All of the older Loud sisters, but especially Lori Leni and Luna, remind me of my own older sister, who I haven't seen in ever since I was a little kid and don't even know if she's alive or anything. This made me get _really_ emotional when writing Lori's little speech. 3- Lucy and Lily are just the _cutest!_ 4- Some of the things in this chapter were things that happened to me, like getting trapped outside my house earlier today when the doorknob broke or accidentally making a sister jump from a chair when I was a kid lol


	5. Sister Talks - Part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First things first, my computer crashed while I was halfway done with this chapter, so I ended up having to rewrite it all, that's why it took me so long to finish it. That might actually have been a good thing, since I like this version way more than the first one. Thanks for waiting.

By the time Sam reached the doorsteps of her house, the sun was long gone and the night was getting darker.

She could almost hear her mother scolding her already.

She was red faced and panting, having ran almost all the way home from the Loud residence. Sam wished she could have ditched her jacket while she ran, as it made her sweat way too much, but as the chilly evening wind hit her sweat drenched clothes, she felt glad that she didn't do it.

"Shit-" Sam cursed under her breath as she dropped her keys. Her hands were trembling from the cold, and the sweat definitely wasn't making her feel any warmer.

It took a while for her to finally hit the keyhole in the dark. Although most of the house's lights were on, the door didn't have any windows, making it pretty hard to find the right key at night.

But instead of getting in immediately, the punk girl sighed and leaned on the door, deciding to wait and catch her breath before going in. Sam knew she was going to get scolded for getting home so late, so she wanted to at least not be red faced and breathless as she heard her sentence.

Despite being tired, cold, and knowing that she was about to be at  _least_  yelled at, Sam smiled. Memories of her day resurfaced as she leaned on the cold wood, and she couldn't stop thinking about how perfect it was. She practically couldn't stop smiling ever since Luna invited her to her house to "do homework" after school ended, and even though very little homework had actually been done, all the moments she spent with Luna, whether they were talking, joking, or just in silence, whether they were trying to focus on homework or procrastinating by playing the guitar, whether Luna was introducing her to her siblings or running and hiding from them, all of those moments made her feel warm inside.

Sure, her siblings might be a little overwhelming and enthusiastic, and she might only remember the names of Lincoln and two or three of her sisters, but they were all nice enough with her, some even complimenting her hair, something she still wasn't used to. And sure, she might have almost gotten hurt more than once, but seeing the way Luna got worried about her made it all worth it.

Sure, she might have been nervous all day, not used to spending so much time alone with Luna, but at least she managed to hide it better than the rocker, she thought. And seeing her being so embarrassed almost made her laugh, not believing how easy it was to turn the confident and bold girl into a blushing mess.  _'I can't believe how easy it is to get her flustered! She's so cute, oh my god...'_  Sam thought, struggling to hide her smile.

No matter what happened, just spending the day with Luna already made it perfect in her eyes. Sam groaned as she hid her face in the door.  _'Boy... I've really got it bad for her, huh?'_  She thought as she ran her hand through her hair, cringing when she noticed how wet it was.

Another gust of cool air pulled Sam out of her thoughts and reminded her that she was still outside. "Crap." She muttered, remembering that the reason she had to run home in the first place was because she was already late. "Here goes nothing..." She said to no one in particular as she prepared herself to face her family, hoping that the door would open silently.

It didn't.

Sam cringed as the front door creaked loudly, surely alerting every resident of her arrival.

" ** _Samantha Ann Price!_** "

Her blood ran cold as she suddenly found herself face to face with her mother, a short, blonde, tired looking woman in her 40s. Her hair, usually very tidy, was in a messy updo, and the bags under her eyes were a lot more noticeable thanks to her angry stare.

 _'Crap.'_  Her mother was definitely not happy, Sam thought. "H-hey mom!" She waved, a wide, nervous smile on her face, knowing her mom wouldn't believe in her innocent expression, but trying it anyway.

"Care to explain why you are getting home this late, young lady?" Her mother asked, her glare not faltering. "And why do you look so sweaty?"

"She was with her boyfriend, sweetie! I told ya!" Sam heard her grandfather laughing in the couch, his back turned to them as he stared intently at the old television, watching a hockey game. "I'm telling ya, it was about time she found a boy already!" He said without looking back at them, only his short, balding gray hair visible as he laughed.

" _Grandpa!_ " She shouted at him in indignation, trying to fight back a blush. "I don't have a boyfriend!"

Her grandfather only laughed in response. Her mother, however, was still staring at her with her arms crossed, waiting for a satisfying answer. "Well then. Why were you out this late then, missy?" She asked sternly, tapping her foot in frustration.

"I was at a friend's house! We were just doing homework, I swear!" Sam exclaimed, holding up her hands in a gesture of defense. "We ended up losing track of time, so when I got out it was already getting dark and I had to run home! That's why I'm sweaty!"

As her mother squinted, studying her face for any signs of lying, Sam could feel sweat rolling down her face, this time from nervousness rather than exhaustion. But once she found none, her mother sighed, closing her eyes as her shoulders sagged. "Next time, text me if you're going to be late." She started, turning her back to Sam before heading back to the kitchen. "I don't want you to walk around after dark. You could get robbed or  _worse!_ " She continued, having to shout the last words due to already being in the kitchen.

Sam sighed. She knew her mother was right, and that only made her feel worse about having lost track of time. "Sorry mom!" She yelled back at her mother, knowing that she wouldn't hear her otherwise.

She couldn't stop herself from leaning against the wall in relief, glad that she didn't get scolded as hard as she thought she would. As she looked around, Sam couldn't help but notice how different her house was from the Loud residence. Her own house was, admittedly, not very big, only having a small living room, a kitchen, a small bathroom, and her grandfather's bedroom downstairs, and a bathroom and two bedrooms upstairs, with no attic or basement. But, after spending the day at Luna's house, her own home felt positively tiny.

Exhausted after running and spending the day out, Sam decided to head straight to bed, knowing that dinner wouldn't be ready for an hour or so.

"Samantha? Are you going upstairs?" She heard her mother call out from the kitchen.

"Yeah mom!" Sam yelled back.

"Can you tell Tabitha to come down in 30 minutes for dinner?"

"Okay mom!" She yelled, halfway up the stairs already.

As she got upstairs and went straight to her bedroom, she saw her younger sister, Tabby, playing air guitar with her eyes closed as she listened to music on her earbuds. Tabby didn't notice Sam coming in, as her earbuds were so loud that Sam could hear them all the way across the room. Sam rolled her eyes at that, remembering how many times she told the small girl to not listen to music so loud.

Tabby looked very much like her older sister in some ways, while being the complete opposite in others. Just like Sam, Tabby was rather short for her age, and someone could easily mistake her for a child two or three years younger. But, unlike Sam, Tabby always wore platform boots as she was tired of being picked on for her height. She also had dyed hair, just like her older sister, but her naturally blonde hair was cut short and completely dyed black, with a purple stripe dyed on her constantly gelled bangs, in contrast to her sister's long, light blonde hair, with a blue streak instead of a purple one. Tabby also had pierced ears, but unlike Sam, she never enjoyed wearing piercings or earrings, so hear ears ended up closing up. She liked wearing jackets, like Sam, but also enjoyed skirts, something her sister could not stand wearing. They both had a large, slightly upturned nose, and while Sam had perfect teeth, never even needing to wear braces, Tabby had a large gap between her front teeth, something she was extremely self conscious about, but that Sam thought made her look cute.

Indeed, Sam and Tabby had many differences, from their choices of makeup to their preferred music genres and instruments. Still, they had much more things in common than not. From their love of music to their excitable personalities, the sisters were very much alike and shared many things. Sam was sure that she and Tabby were as close as sisters could be. They trusted each other with every secret, no matter how small or how grand it seemed, and they always tried to help each other out, getting excited when one was happy, and offering comfort and assistance when the other wasn't. Sam loved her sister, and as big sister, there was one thing she loved more than anything in the world:

Messing with her sister.

As she kicked off her boots and took off her jacket, Sam jumped on her bed and waited until Tabby was just in the right spot, in front of her own bed and with her back turned to Sam's, before hurling her jacket with full force at the back of her sister's head, earning her a startled "Oof!" and knocking her face first into bed.

"Hey!" Tabby shouted as she took her earbuds off and sat up straight in bed, throwing Sam's jacket back at her. "What was that for?!"

"I told you not to listen to music at the last volume, Tabs." Sam covered a snicker with her hand. "You're gonna end up deaf, dude." She said as she hung her jacket on a chair.

Tabby merely stuck her tongue out at her, annoyed. "Where were you all day anyway?" She asked, trying to fix her hair as it got smushed when she hit the bed. "And why the heck are you all sweaty?" Tabby noticed the way her sister's hair stuck to her face, still red despite the fact that she was already lying down.

"I'm sweaty because I was running."

"The whole afternoon!?" She asked in disbelief, knowing that Sam wasn't exactly the athletic type.

Sam tilted her head at that, squinting at Tabby while she processed the question. "Wha- No, _dummy!_  I was running to get home!" She said, resisting the urge to facepalm. "I spent the day at Luna's house and ended up losing track of time." She explained.

"What!? No way!" Tabby jumped out of her bed and rushed straight to her sister's bed. "You were hanging out with Luna and you didn't even invite me?!" She cried out, indignation written in her features.

Sam sighed internally. She knew that her little sister would react like that. She was, after all, Luna's biggest fan.

It had been two years ago, during a talent show in a fair where Luna was playing when Tabby met her for the first time. Sam had not gone, as she was sick with the flu at the time, but when Tabby came back home with their mom, she was completely changed.

She would not stop talking about the "amazing girl with the cool hair and the guitar" she saw at the fair for weeks after that. Sam had been trying to get Tabby into music for years with no success, but after that day her sister would bombard her with music questions nonstop. She asked about bands, artists, instruments, music theory, even asking Sam to teach her how to play the guitar, which she gladly did, even though she dropped it so she could focus on the electric guitar Sam gave her on her tenth birthday instead.

Tabby even changed her style completely, cutting her hair short and styling it up (although Sam wasn't sure if that was because of Luna or because she wanted to look taller.). She even started wearing long boots and plaid skirts like Luna, although she found the amount of belts the older girl wore rather impractical, and she pierced her ears because of Luna's infamous paperclip earrings, but she obviously never got used to wearing them. One night, she asked for Sam to dye her hair black, something she gladly did (and that got both of them grounded for a week when their mother found out in the morning), and when Sam asked if she wanted a stripe on her bangs like she had, Tabby agreed, but only if she dyed it purple, matching the rest of her Luna inspired wardrobe.

For a long time, Sam was almost jealous of this Luna girl. When she saw the way her little sister idolized this girl, she couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy in her heart. But over time, as she realized how much closer she and Tabby had grown because of her, Sam started feeling thankful instead, and decided to thank her for inspiring her sister whenever they finally met, something she  _still_  hadn't done.

Thanks to her sister's constant idolizing of the teen rocker, Sam didn't even recognize her as the same Luna her sister talked about when they first met, only realizing it was "her" when she broke out into her faux British accent, a habit Tabby had obviously picked up from her.

As she looked at her sister, who was now pouting with crossed arms (which made her look even  _more_  like a little kid.), Sam couldn't help but laugh at Tabby's childishness. "Hey, don't be upset, sis!" She said as she ruffled her hair, earning her an annoyed look.

"-Hey, hey! Don't mess the hair!" Tabby rolled away as to escape Sam's terrible, hair-ruffling hands, sitting at the opposite side of the bed as she tried to fix her hair again.

"It's not like I planned on going there, anyway. Luna was the one that invited me!" Sam smirked. She knew that this would definitely get her little sister's attention. And it surely did, as Tabby stopped fixing her hair and stared straight at Sam, frozen, with her eyes wide and mouth hanging open.

"What!? Oh my gosh, I didn't know you guys were so close! Oh my gosh, oh my gosh! I'm so jealous!" Sam laughed as her sister started bouncing on the bed excitedly, seemingly forgetting the wild mass of black and purple falling over her eyes.

"Pipe down, Pipsqueak!" Sam grabbed the energetic girl's shoulders. "We were just doing homework." She said, trying to calm her sister down.

"Aw, but still! How was it?!" Tabby asked, not bouncing anymore but just as excited as before. "Tell me everything!" She demanded, holding her wild bangs so they wouldn't cover her eyes.

"Well..." Sam didn't know where to start. They might have spent most of the day locked in Luna's room, but she still felt like a lot had happened. "Let's see..." Before she said anything else, Sam started laughing as she noticed how Tabby was staring at her, eyes sparkling with anticipation as she waited for her older sister's opinion on her idol.

"Oh, come on, Sam!" She pleaded, frustrated. "How was it?"

"Okay, okay." Sam rolled her eyes, smiling at her sister. "So... she  _does_  have nine sisters." She said. Sam had found that hard to believe when Tabby told her, before she even met Luna. Even when Luna herself told her, Sam still couldn't wrap her head around it.

"Ooh, did you meet Lincoln?" Tabby asked excitedly, suddenly remembering that her friend was also one of Luna's siblings.

"Yeah! Cool kid. You weren't lying about his hair." Sam was surprised that his parents would let someone as young as him dye his whole hair like that, especially with a color as unusual as white, but she decided not to mention it at the time.

"I told ya! Isn't it cool?!" Lincoln's unusual hair color was the first thing Tabby noticed when she met him, and it was probably what she thought was his most notable feature, seeing how many times Sam had heard her sister talk about it, even when she was still upset with him for having lied to her. "What about Luna, though? What did you guys do all day?"

"I told you, we didn't do much! We did some homework, she played some songs, we joked around..." Sam looked around as she recalled her day, conveniently not mentioning the weirdly frequent hand-holding and her failed attempts at flirting, knowing very well how her little sister would react if she knew. "We mostly just talked about stuff, really."

"Hmm..." Tabby squinted at her, suspicious. "What kind of "stuff"?"

"Uh... You know. Stuff!" Sam leaned back as her sister got closer, easily noticing that she was hiding something.

As Tabby continued to stare at her, refusing to let the subject go, Sam sighed. She knew how persistent her sister could be, and she knew that they never hid secrets from each other. Tabby trusted Sam with everything, and Sam knew that, despite her sister's over enthusiastic nature, she could also trust her and count on her for everything. She was, after all, the first (and only) person Sam had came out to, way back in seventh grade, and she was also the one who comforted her when her first crush turned out to not be into girls.

She could trust her.

"Tabby..." Sam started, her voice low, making Tabby drop her stare in concern.

"Yeah?"

"I... I need you to do me a favor."

"Huh?" Tabby was taken aback, not expecting her sister to start talking so seriously, and gave her a worried look before being startled by her hair suddenly falling on her face. "A favor?" She asked, holding up her bangs.

"You've known Luna for longer than I have, right?"

"Uh, yeah." She said, wondering what that was about. "Why?"

"Okay, so..." Sam took a deep breath before looking at Tabby straight in the eyes, a serious look on her face. "I want you to think  _very_  carefully about this before answering me."

"Uh-huh..." Tabby leaned in closer, preparing herself for whatever her sister might ask.

Suddenly, the serious expression on the older sister's face was replaced with a more panicked one as she blurted out:

"Do you think Luna's into girls?"

"Eh?" The small girl leaned back, confused. Whatever she was expecting her sister to ask, this was  _definitely_  not it. "I-I don't know? Why do you even ca-" Tabby stopped mid-sentence as she finally connected the dots, her eyes wide and mouth agape in realization. "Oooooooooh!" She couldn't contain her smile, covering her mouth with her hands as her eyes twinkled with excitement. "Oh my goooosh!"

 _'Here we go...'_ Sam rolled her eyes at her sister's excitement.

"You like her!" Tabby practically yelled at her, unable to restrain herself.

"Geez, say it a bit louder, won't you? I don't think the neighbors gotta know about that."

"Oops." She put a hand on her mouth, ashamed. "Sorry about that." Her ashamed look quickly faded away, however, as the small girl quickly went back to being excited. "Oh my gosh, you like her! I can't believe that! I mean, of  _course_  I can believe that! Of course you would like her! Luna's the coolest, prettiest, most talented person I know!" Tabby threw her hands in the air, enthusiastic at the prospect of her big sister and her idol being together.

Sam gave her an amused look, not at all surprised by the small girl's energy. "Damn, sis. And I thought  _I_  was the one crushing on her." Sam was used to her sister idolizing Luna, but she couldn't miss such an opportunity to mess with her.

"What!? I don't got a crush on her!" Tabby blushed at her sister's suggestion.

Sam let out a laugh at the small girl's embarrassment. "I'm just messing with ya, sis!" She said as she ruffled Tabby's hair again, who seemed to have given up on fixing it. "Just don't try and steal her from me, alright?"

Tabby stuck her tongue out at her. "She's too old for me! And I don't even like girls, I think." She blushed again as Sam continued to laugh at her. "I just think she's cool! And she  _is_  pretty!" She said, holding up her hands, flustered.

She was laughing, but Sam mentally agreed with her. Luna  _was_  coolest and prettiest and most talented girl, at least in her eyes.

She met Luna a few months ago, when they got placed at the same class at the start of the school year, and the first thing she noticed was how  _pretty_  she looked. Her style was a bit extravagant, sure (long boots? Double belts?  _Paperclip earrings?_   _Really?_ ) but she pulled it off well. She was a bit taller than Sam, despite being a year younger, and Sam couldn't decide if her short brown hair coupled with her freckled face made her really cute or really  _hot_.  _'Both. She's definitely both...'_ The second thing she noticed was how talented she was. Luna could play almost any instrument she touched, and even without an instrument she would still find a way to be constantly making music (much to her teacher's annoyance.), be it by tapping on her desk, humming, or even singing, something that Sam always loved to hear her do. But the third thing she noticed was what made Sam fall for her.

What really enchanted her was Luna's kind, passionate nature. Sure, her looks might have gotten her attention, and her talent might have made her stick around, but it was her personality that made Sam want to know her on a deeper, more personal level. The way she seemed to not only always be excited, but to also want others to share that excitement with her made the rocker irresistible to Sam. The girl never seemed to be in a bad mood, and it was almost impossible to feel sad around her, as Luna brought an aura of lightheartedness and enthusiasm wherever she went, and that same aura just made Sam want to always be near her, trying to spend as much time as she could with her.

Even today, being uncharacteristically nervous and quiet, Luna still managed to brighten up her day just by being around, and Sam smiled as she reminisced about her day, wishing she could've spent the whole day talking with her, or even told her how she felt, even if the prospect of doing so still made her sweat cold. She blushed as she remembered her clumsy attempts at flirting, and she blushed even harder when she remembered how flustered Luna had gotten. Whether that was due to embarrassment or reciprocation, Sam couldn't tell. She hoped with all her forces it was due to the latter, but she was still scared it might be the former, the feeling of rejection looming over her and making the butterflies in her stomach feel more like cement instead.

Still, even scared at the very real possibility of Luna not feeling the same way about her, Sam felt her face grow hot as she remembered the way Luna held her hand. She could still fell the warmth of her hands wrapped around hers. She remembered in vivid detail how, despite being calloused from years of playing multiple instruments, her fingers were gentle and careful as they wrapped around her hand, almost as if the smallest movement might make her pull away. She remembered how, despite looking pretty thin, she could still feel her muscles when Luna threw her arms around her. Her arms were lean, but still strong, probably used to carrying stuff like amps and drum sets around, and even if Sam wasn't actually hurt from the glass shards, she still felt safe in her arms.

She would give anything to have Luna hold her like that again.

Sam sighed. _'Boy... I've **really**  got it bad for her, don't I?'_

"Yooo, sis?" Her thoughts were interrupted when she noticed that Tabby was inches away from her face. "You spaced out?"

Sam yelped and recoiled away from Tabby in surprise, glaring at her little sister when she started laughing at her.

"Sorry, were you thinking 'bout your  _girlfriend_?"

Sam blushed at that. "She's not my girlfriend!"

"Not yet, at least." Tabby snickered.

"Argh, shut up!" She covered her face with a pillow in frustration. "And I wasn't thinking about her!" Sam lied, her voice muffled by the pillow.

"Yes you were!"

"No I wasn't!"

"You were!"

"Was not!"

"Was too!"

Sam lowered her pillow so she could glare at her sister, exposing her now completely red face. "Get out of my room!"

"Hey, this is  _my_  room too!" Tabby replied, before noticing how hard Sam was blushing and laughing hysterically at her older sister's embarrassment. That, however, earned her a pillow to the face.

"Oof!"

"Then get out of my  _bed_!" Sam used a foot to shove her sister, who gave a yelp as she fell off the bed.

Whatever retort Tabby was planning, however, died when she saw her sister lying down with her face buried on her bed. Her mock annoyance completely faded away and gave way to worry when she heard Sam let out a groan of anguish, muffled by her face on the bed covers.

"Sis?"

"Yeah?" Sam replied, face still planted firmly on her bed.

"You okay?" She could hear the concern in her little sister's voice, but refused to move her head, suddenly feeling exhausted.

"Yeah."

"Are you sure...?" Tabby asked, getting closer to her bed, but not sitting on it, not wanting to risk getting kicked off again.

Sam sighed, before turning her head slightly to look at her sister. "You still haven't told me what you think..." She asked, her normally playful voice filled with worry.

"Think...?" Tabby made a weird face at her, before remembering what they were talking about before Sam spaced out. "Oh! Right, about Luna..."

Sam finally lifted her head, putting an arm beneath it like a pillow so she could look at her sister's face. Her worry only grew when she noticed how hesitant Tabby seemed to be.

"Well..." Tabby looked away as she thought, trying to remember her conversations with Luna. "I don't know..." She started. "I know she likes boys, I heard her talking about this Hugh guy before but... I don't think she ever mentioned girls..."

 _'Oh.'_  Sam felt cold suddenly. All of her enthusiasm due to the "perfect day" she had was gone. She expected this already, of course, but that didn't make hearing it any less painful. She started thinking back about how the day had went, and only felt bad about it now that it was practically confirmed that Luna was straight.  _'So that's why she looked so flustered when I tried flirting with her, huh? She was just embarrassed for me...'_  She felt mad, more at herself than at anyone else. Mad that once again she was getting her hopes up only to be faced with disappointment.  _'God, I'm such a fucking **idiot**...'_  She thought as she buried her face in her bed again, trying to fight back tears of frustration, her hands trembling as she gripped her bed sheets.

Tabby immediately regretted having mentioned that. Sam was usually so happy and carefree, and that only made it harder to see her down in the dumps like that. She sat beside her older sister, not caring whether she would get kicked off or not, and put a hand on her back in an attempt to comfort Sam. "Sammie, come on..." She struggled with her words, being careful to not upset her even more. "Maybe she likes girls too? I don't know, it would make sense for her to not go around telling people about it if she did!" Tabby assured, trying to sound hopeful.

Sam merely grunted in response, not even looking up at her sister.

Tabby was getting desperate now. She needed to cheer her big sister up. "Hey, look," She said, getting an idea. "I know someone who might help us with this, but I gotta find his number first, so I'll tell you about it tomorrow when we get home from school, okay?" Tabby looked hopefully at her Sam, trying to see if this would at least get her attention.

Hearing this, Sam lifted her head just enough to expose her eyes, crossing her arms in front of her face. She still wouldn't look at Tabby, and her eyes were filled with tears, even as she tried not to cry. "Actually..." She started in a low voice, barely audible. "Luna invited me to spend the day at her house again tomorrow, so I'm gonna be coming home late again."

Tabby perked up upon hearing that. "That's great! You get to spend the day with her and I can tell you about it when you get back!" She smiled wide as she looked at her sister. However, her smile quickly fell as Sam didn't even look in her direction.

"Yeah... great..." Sam kept looking down. The thought of spending another day with Luna would have made her happy a few minutes ago, but now it only added another drop to the ocean of anxiety growing inside of her.

Tabby sighed, frustrated that nothing seemed to cheer her up. "Sam, look..." She said, putting a hand on Sam's arm. "I know you're scared, but she might like you! She invited you over for two days in a row, right? So at least we know she likes having you around!"

Sam finally looked up at Tabby, looking like she wanted to contest that but not finding the will to do so.

The small girl beamed, finally having caught her attention. "Besides," She added, smiling. "Why  _wouldn't_  she like you? You both like the same stuff, you are cool as heck, funny, attractive..." She listed, hoping this would make her feel any better. "She would have to be  _crazy_  to not like you!" She exclaimed, her hands gesturing wildly as she tried to prove her point.

Sam gave a small, sad laugh as she looked at her sister. "Yeah, or  _straight_." She reminded her.

She was ready to bury her face on the bed sheets once again, but she was surprised by Tabby suddenly hugging her from the side. "Tabby?" She looked at her sister, not used to being hugged like this by her. It's not that they didn't show each other frequent affection, but both girls preferred roughhousing and messing with each other to show their love instead of more sentimental demonstrations of affection.

"Luna's not the only one I idolize, y'know?" Tabby mumbled, her face pressed against Sam's shoulder.

"Huh?"

"You're my hero too, dummy!" She said, looking up at her big sister. Her eyes glistening with tears, but just like Sam, she refused to let them out. "You've always been! I hate seeing you like this!"

"Tabby..."

"I know you're scared, but even if she doesn't like you like that, Luna would  _never_  stop being your friend! She's not like that!" She continued, cutting off her sister. "And you know what? If she doesn't feel the same, that's  _her_  loss! You are amazing, and any girl would be lucky to go out with you."

Sam hugged her sister back as she heard those words, feeling as if it was getting harder to hold the tears back.

"You're amazing, sis..." She nuzzled up against Sam's chest as she tightened her hug. "I don't see how Luna could  _not_  like you. And even if she doesn't, well,  _I_  do! I  _love_  you! And I hate seeing you down like that..."

 _'Oh, Tabby...'_ Sam finally allowed a small smile on her face as she pulled back from the hug.

Tabby looked up to her, worried, but once she saw Sam smiling, she cracked the biggest smile herself, showing her that front gap she hated so much, but that Sam thought only made her sister look even more precious.

"Thank you, Tabbie..." She said while she fixed her sister's hair, her voice barely above a whisper. "You're the best."

Sam didn't fully agree with everything Tabby had just said, but it did make her feel better. She was definitely more anxious than before, now knowing that Luna liked boys, making it unlikely that she also liked girls, but she was determined to not give up. She trusted her sister, and if Tabby believed in her, then she believed in herself too.

Even if Luna didn't like her back, Sam still had her sister, and so she knew that in the end, everything was gonna be alright.

" ** _GIRLS? DINNER IS READY!_** "

Sam smiled as she looked at the small girl sitting by her side. "Let's go eat, sis." She said, before pulling her sister into another quick side-hug.

"Okay!" Tabby beamed as she jumped off the bed, her usual enthusiasm finally back. "But," She added, turning back to Sam, looking at her seriously. "when we come back, you tell me  _everything._ "

Sam let out a loud laugh at that, incredulous. "You know what? I changed my mind!" She smiled as she shook her head as she got up, following her little sister. "You are the  _worst._ "

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh boy, where do I begin... first, sorry again for taking so long, I'm taking precautions so that I won't lose another chapter like this again orz. All the scenes with Sam and Tabby and their family were supposed to just be a small bit at the start of the chapter, but I ended getting carried away and writing almost 6k words so it kinda ended up dividing the original chapter in two parts and letting this as it's own chapter instead lol. As soon as I saw Tabby, she immediately reminded me of Scootaloo from MLP, so I like to think that her relationship with Luna is kinda like Scootaloo's and RD's relationship. We still don't know what Sam's last name is (or if they're even gonna reveal it in canon) so I gave her Chloe's last name from LiS, because _come on,_ a blonde rebel with blue dyed hair crushing on the adorkable bisexual brunette with a freckled face and who plays the guitar? That one was just _obvious._ ~~(okay I ended up saying _way_ more than I intended so byethankyouforreading.)~~


	7. apology

First of all, I'm sorry that this is not the new chapter. orz

I'm really sorry for making you guys wait this long, but I really haven't been able to write lately. I've been really sick lately, and so I've been spending most of the day sleeping, and it really doesn't help that SA just got hit with a really strong cold front this week (I also ended up hurting my hand somehow, but that doesn't actually prevent me from writing, it's just annoying lol). While I did try to write at least a bit every day, it's been really hard to focus since I'm sick, and I ended up writing some parts while I was... not fully awake, to say the least ^u^; I'm finally getting better, though, but... the chapter ended up all over the place quality-wise due to my sick writing schedule, and I'm really not satisfied with how it turned out, so I'm reviewing some parts and rewriting others entirely, trying to make the chapter flow better. I'd rather deliver a delayed chapter than a crappy one orz.

I know that waiting sucks (I'm probably the most impatient person I know lol), but trying to rush me won't actually make me write faster (well, it will, but it's gonna come out crappy and I'll have to rewrite it -_-;), it just makes me feel kinda guilty for not actually posting anything. If you guys want to ask about progress on the chapter or anything relating to the fic you can shoot me an ask at my tumblr (sem-mercy) and I'll try to answer as best as I can

Since the chapter is mostly done, I'll be posting it real soon (and deleting this message lol), probably tomorrow if I'm lucky, but early saturday if I'm not. Again, thank you all for your patience and for understanding orz


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